Food Safety Focus (164th Issue, March 2020) – Food Incident Highlight

Stay Away from Mouldy Food

While mould growth can actually occur before or after harvest, or during storage, on or inside the food itself, high humidity and warm temperatures in springtime favour the growth of the fungal microorganism. Mould can lead to deterioration of food texture and taste. In addition, mould may produce harmful substances such as aflatoxins which may contribute to adverse health effects in humans, such as liver cancer.

To prevent unintentional fungal growth on food, storing food properly like refrigeration is always the key preventive measure. While removing the mould and a significant amount of the surrounding product might help to remove any unseen toxins present, there is no guarantee that doing so can remove them all. It is therefore recommended to throw away mouldy food; affected products should not be consumed.